Lamp-hanger



No. 6|7,35I. I Patented Jan. l0, I899.

L. L. PGW'ELL. s

LAMP HANGER.

(Application filed Mar. 3, 1898.) (No Model.)

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. I 6/ %7 I I v L i "1 01mm NITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

LEMUEL L. POWELL, OF ELKTON, VIRGINIA.

LAM P-HANG ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,351, dated January 10, 1899.

Application filed March 1393- To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEMUEL L. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkton, in the county of Rockingham and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Lamp-Hanger, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improved arrangement of mechanism whereby a lamp may be suspended and counterbalanced.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the raising and lowering of heavy lamps for the purpose of lighting, extinguishing, filling, and cleaning are greatly facilitated; and with this object in view my invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention most nearly appertains to make and use the same, Iwill now proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is aview illustrating the practical operation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the counterbalancing and raising and lowering mechanism. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking upward, as indicated by the arrows.

Like letters of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in the various figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by'letters, A indicates a lamp of the variety generally used in stores and like public places. Such lamps being generally large enough to contain from a quart to a gallon of oil, and consequently very heavy and difficult to handle,are usually suspended in a bracket or chandelier, as at B.

0 indicates a snap hook in which the bracket is engaged and which is secured to one end of a cord or cable D, which passes over two pulleys E and F, and has at its opposite end another snap-hook G, which engages the hail of a cylindrical can H, adapted to receive sand or like material for counterbalancing the lamp when filled, empty, or partially $erial No. 672,440. (No model.)

filled. The pulley E is journaled in abracket E, secured to the ceiling, and the pulley F in a bracket F, also secured to the ceiling, the pulley E being located over that part of the room where it is desired to suspend the lamp and the pulley F at one side of the room against the wall I, which forms one wall of a compartment in which the can H is located, the other walls J, K, and L being of any suitable material, preferably plank, and secured in position at the top in seats formed between downwardly-depending flanges J, K, and L formed on the bracket F and at the bottom by screws or nails M entering a bottom M, secured against the wall.

The front wall L is provided with a vertical slot N,th rough which passes a screw-threaded rod 0, attached to the can H and having a fixed collar P bearing against the inner surface of the wall L adjacent to the slot. A thumb-nut Q engages the threaded rod 0 out side the wall L, by means of which the wall at the edges of the slot N may be clamped against the collar P.

The construction of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description and its operation may be described as follows: Sufficient sand or other material to counterbalance the weight of the lamp when filled is placed in the can H, when the lamp may be raised or lowered by-simply pushing it up or drawing it down with the hand for the purpose of lighting or extinguishing it. As the oil in the lamp is consumed the weight of the can in excess of the lamp and oil will continually increase until when the lamp is empty there will be a difference equal to the weight of the oil. In

this condition when the lamp is pulled downward there is danger that, the user in filling or cleaning might accidentally release his hold, in which case the lamp would fly upward at a very rapid rate, with a liability of breakage by striking against the bracket E on the ceiling. In order to overcome this difficulty, I may'provide the slot N in the front wall L of the casingin which the weighted can is located and project the threaded rod 0 outward from the can through this slot to receive the thumb-nut Q. In the use of this portion of my invention when it is desired to lower the empty lamp for the pur pose of cleaning or filling it is only necessary to raise the weighted can by seizing the thumb-nut Q and sliding the rod 0 upward in the slot N of the wall L of the casing until the lamp is lowered to the desired position, when by simply turning the nut Q the nut and the collar P on the rod 0 will clamp the front wall of the casing at the edges of the slot N, and thus rigidlysecure the weighted can in its raised position and prevent the lamp from being raised by the Weight of the can until the nut is released. \Vhen the lamp is filled, the nut is released, and the weight of the can being just about sufficient to counterbalance the filled lamp it may be moved up and down to any desired position, where it will remain until thelamp again becomes too light, when the weight will, if not held, drop to the bottom of the casing, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

"While I have illustrated and described the best means now known to me for carrying out my invention, I do not wish to be understood as restricting myself to the exact details of construction shown, but hold that any slight changes or variations such as might suggest themselves to the ordinary mechanic would properly fall within the limit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The combination of the two pulley-brackets, the cord or cable passing over them, the lamp secured to one end of the cord, the weight secured to the opposite end of the cord, the casing, inclosing the weight and provided with a vertical slot in one of its walls, the threaded rod, extending laterally from the weight through said slot, the collar on said rod inside the casing, and the thumbnut, engaging said threaded rod on the outside of the casing, substantially as described.

LEMUEL L. POWELL.

\Vitnesses:

J. M. POWELL, Jos. T. MAIDEN. 

